It Started With A Whisper
by Velvet Vixsyn
Summary: An adventurous Amity girl defects to Dauntless where she has a harder time fitting in than she had hoped. She catches the attention of Eric who seems to have a soft spot for her, and helps her get through training. AU. Based on movie version of Eric. No war.
1. It Started With A Whisper

**A/N. So this is my second Divergent story. I am still working on my other one for those of you who are reading it, but I have taken just a little break from it. There are some similarities in this story with my other one, but some differences as well. I hope you all like it, and as always your follows, favorites, and review are always very appreciated.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Divergent Trilogy. **

**It Started With A Whisper**

I practically flung myself into the train. I had just ran for my life, and barely caught the last train car. I had chosen Dauntless as my new faction, and the rush of it still lingered just under the surface. I always knew it would be Dauntless. Even my parents seemed know I wouldn't stay. I was just always different from the rest of them. It wasn't that I didn't like my faction, some things about it were really nice. I just never really quite fit in. When the other kids were happy dancing I wanted to have a sword fight, or have a race. I always wanted the adventure. My parents always seemed to know too. On the ride to the choosing ceremony my mother had told me that it was okay, and that I was making the right decision. I hadn't talked to any of them about what I would choose, or my test results. She just knew. Thinking about it now made my chest go tight, and tears threaten to form at my eyes. I was going to miss seeing her every day, but she was right Dauntless is where I should be. Soon Amity would just be a dream.

I had been sitting on the car floor with my head resting on my drawn up knees thinking everything over, and letting it sink in when everyone around me began to stir. I looked up as a short little Abnegation girl worriedly announced that the others were jumping from the train. I got up to look for myself. Everyone in the cars ahead of us were jumping off, and onto a flat roof. Getting on the train was hard, but I had to do this. I watched carefully, and took a deep breath before leaping from the train. I hit the roof hard, and rolled. I let out a small laugh, and got up brushing myself off. The others were heading toward the edge of the roof on the other side, and I followed them lingering at the back.

Through the crowd I could see someone standing on the edge of the roof. He was hard not to notice, everything about him was_ intense_. He was tall, and muscular, and dressed in all Dauntless black. He may have been the most intimidating looking man I had ever seen. I stepped a little closer through the crowd to get a better look at him. His hair was perfectly kempt in a gentle man's cut, and he had two piercings in his right eyebrow. There were two thick segmented lines running down either side of his throat. His expression was hard and cold, but his eyes were the most beautiful deep blue. I realized I was staring when he looked over the crowd, and made eye contact with me. I nearly jumped, and had to stifle a squeak. It was silly, but it was like I had been caught with my hand in the cookie jar. I looked down at the ground, and tried my best not to blush.

"Alright everyone I'm Eric one of your leaders. If you want to enter Dauntless this is the way in, and if you don't have the guts to jump then you don't belong in Dauntless. Okay someone's got to go first who's it going to be?" Eric said in a deep smooth tone as he looked over the crowd again expectantly. Everyone around stirred nervously except one boy who walked up the edge. He was almost as tall as Eric, but leaner. His hair was a soft natural black, and he wore it short on the sides, but let it go long on top in a kind of organized dishevelment. I didn't get a look at his face. He didn't say anything he just stepped up on the ledge of the roof, and leapt off. I think everyone held their breath for a moment. Several people ran over to the edge, but apparently you couldn't see anything. Once that first boy had gone, and there were no screams of agony others seemed to feel more confident about jumping. One by one they jumped, some hesitated longer than others, and when they did Eric impatiently urged them to go.

The group slowly dwindled down, and it wasn't long before it was just me and another boy from Erudite. I couldn't find the strength to move. I felt glued to where I was. I had always been the one who wanted to go on an adventure, or jump first into the pond when we swam in the summer. It wasn't like me to hold back so much, and be so timid. Standing there hesitating actually made me feel more like Amity then I ever had, but I wasn't Amity anymore I was Dauntless now. I needed to pull myself together, and act like it. Before I could muster up the courage to move the Erudite boy was on the ledge, and jumped a moment later. I was the last one to go. I slowly moved closer to the edge stopping about a foot from it. Eric stepped close to me, and slowly looked me over for a long moment. His gaze was unnerving, and I could only bring myself to meet his eyes for the briefest moment before looking at the ground.

"It's a little scary isn't? Your first day here, and having to do something like this." Eric said his voice still deep but with a sort of softness to it this time. I looked up at him. His expression wasn't as hard, and some of the coldness from his eyes was gone.

"Yeah it's a little scary…but I want to be here." I said trying to keep my voice steady. A small smirk played at his lips. Then he surprised me by gently taking my hand.

"Come on I'll help you." He said stepping up on the ledge, and pulling me up with him. He let go of my hand, and moved his arm around me letting his hand gently rest on the middle of my back. Where his hand touch sent a tingle down my spine, and it took everything I had not to let my knees buckle under me. He leaned in close to my ear, and lingered there for a brief moment. I held my breath. He was so close, and suddenly everything in me felt awake. I had never felt that way before, what was it about him?

"Welcome to Dauntless." He whispered in my ear. The feeling of his breath ghosting across my skin was too much, and my knees were going out from under me, but it didn't matter because the moment he whispered to me he shoved me off the roof. I felt my body twist in the air, and I was looking back up at him falling away towards the ground. He still wore that smirk. It was only moments, but it felt like forever. I could hear myself scream, and an almost unbearable tickling pulling sensation ran through stomach. Then I was bouncing. I had landed in a net. I laid there for only a moment before someone tugged on the edge of the net, and it rolled me over to them. A tall dark haired man grabbed me, and pulled me down from the net. He wore a hard expression as he stared at me.

"What's your name?" He asked in a stern hard voice.

"Ursa." I answered quietly.

"Are you sure that's what you want to go by?" He asked with his brows raised. What was that supposed to mean?

"Yes that's what I want to go buy." I answered feeling a little self-conscious.

"Last jumper Ursa." He called out. I walked over to join the rest of the group, and as I did I heard someone hit the net. It was Eric I glared at him before turning to face the dark haired man with the others.

"Alright everyone listen up. I'm Four I'll be your instructor during initiation. Normally I work in the control room, but once a year I train initiates. This is Lauren she will be training the Dauntless born, and transfers you'll be with me. There are three stages to your training. The first will test your physical strength. The second will test you mentally, and the third will test you emotionally. You will be trained separately, but you will be ranked together. Your ranking will determine what position you can take once you get through training." Four explained as he looked over the group.

"Rankings will also determine who gets cut." Eric said from behind us. Everyone turned to look at him, and nervously shuffled.

"What do you mean cut?" A tall Candor boy asked. Eric stepped a little closer to the group.

"The lowest ranking initiates will be leaving us after each stage of training." Eric answered.

"To do what?" The tall boy asked again.

"Well you can't go back to your families, so you'll live factionless." Eric answered again in a tone that suggested it was obvious.

"Why didn't someone tell us? We should've known." A red headed Candor girl said. Eric's expression hardened, and his jaw flexed.

"Why? Would you have chosen differently? A true Dauntless wouldn't care. You chose us now we get to choose you." Eric said in an agitated tone. Almost everyone shuffled nervously.

"Alright Dauntless transfers you can go with Lauren you don't need a tour. The rest of you follow me." Four said breaking some of the tension. I looked back at Eric as the others started to walk away. He had his head cocked just to the side with a faint smirk still playing at his lips. He was looking right at me, and nodded toward the group. I quickly ran to catch up with him. Had he been watching me? If he was I got the feeling that could mean trouble for me later. We all followed Four as he led us to various areas. He showed us the pit, and explained that we could shop with points. We would all start out with enough to get knew clothes, personal items, and a little extra for whatever else we needed. He took us to the training room where we would all meet at in the morning. He then led us to our dorm. Everyone took a look around. It was a simple concrete room with beds lining the walls.

"Is this the girls or the boy's room?" A Abnegation boy asked.

"Both. You'll be sharing the dorm…and the bathroom." Four answered. The girls all began grumbling, but the boys didn't seem to mind as much. There were nine of us. Five boys and four girls. I didn't like the idea of showering with other people much, and instinctively crossed my arms over my chest. I glanced at Four, and surprisingly he gave me a empathic look. "Girls shower first in the morning then boys. If I find out that you're breaking that rule you'll be answering to me. Do you understand?" He asked. No one questioned him, and I gave him a small smile that said thank you.

"Okay training starts at eight. You get an hour for lunch, and training ends at six. You are free to do what you want after that, but you can't leave unless you are accompanied by a full Dauntless member. I'm going to take you to the cafeteria now for dinner, after that you need to get new clothes. I don't want to see any of you in your old faction's clothes tomorrow in training." Four explained before walking out the door. We all followed him, and soon were in the cafeteria.

The cafeteria was a loud sea of people talking, and laughing with each other. Four walked over to the only free table left, and we all followed him. Everyone took a seat, and began eating. I sat next to Four who was at the very edge of the table, and the red headed Candor girl sat next to me. I picked at my food. I wasn't feeling that hungry it had been a long day. I glanced across the table, and the tall Erudite boy who had jumped first was sitting across from me. I think he had been staring at me, and when I met his eyes he smiled. It was the first time that I had really got a good look at his face. He had the most piercing blue eyes I had ever seen, and dark arching eyebrows that contrasted with his pale eyes. His lips were what really caught my attention though, he had such full pouty lips the upper one just fuller than the lower. I couldn't help but smile back at him before looking away. Something about his smile was magnetic.

"I'm Lydia by the way." The red headed Candor girl said turning just a little to face me. I looked to her with a smile. She was pretty. She had a soft round face, and deep brown eyes.

"Hi, I'm Ursa." I said quietly.

"Ursa like the constellation?" She asked. I nodded. "I like it." She added.

"I like it too, it's pretty. I'm Alexander." The cute Erudite boy said. I hesitantly looked at him as I felt a light blush creep onto my cheeks.

"Thanks." I said sheepishly before looking back down at my food, and taking a bite. Thankfully the other Erudite boy that had jumped just before me took his attention away as he started to talk to him.

"We should go shopping together when we're done eating." Lydia said nudging my arm lightly.

"Yeah I'd like that." I said.

"Umm what about me?" A tall Candor boy who was sitting next to Lydia said. He was the boy who had asked Eric about getting cut earlier. He seemed nice. He had long brown hair that rest just at his shoulders, and dark green eyes. He was cute in the boy next door kind of way.

"You can come too. This is Tyler we've been friends since we were like five." Lydia said. Tyler leaned back behind Lydia, and gave me small smile, and little wave. Four shifted next to me. I looked at him, and leaned a little closer.

"Thanks what you said earlier in the dorm." I said very quietly to him. He looked at me his expression was hard.

"Why are you talking to me?" He asked just above a harsh whisper. I slowly shook my head.

"Sorry." I said under my breath. He looked at me for a moment longer before going back to eating. I didn't get him. I was sure what he said in the dorm about the showers was because he felt bad about it. He didn't have to make that rule, but now he was acting like such a jerk. Being at Dauntless was going to be harder than I thought.

We finished eating, and found our way back to the pit. We browsed through a few shops before finding one with women's clothes. I looked around through the racks. I picked out a few pairs of pants, and a few tops. I took them into a fitting room. I changed into a pair of the pants, and one of the shirts. I looked at myself in the mirror the pants were fitted, and hung low at my hips. I liked them I didn't wear pants that often. I was always in long skirts. I liked the top too it was a black cropped tee that rested just above my belly button. The outfit complemented my figure nicely. I was on the hour glassy side with fuller hips, and a larger bust, but my waist was slim. I brushed my long black hair over my shoulders, and let it fall down my back where it rested midway in loose wavy tendrils. The black of my outfit looked good against my fair skin, and bright green eyes. Maybe it was silly but the new clothes made me feel like I belonged in Dauntless.

"Well are you going to show us or what?" I heard Lydia say in a playful way outside of my fitting room.

"Yeah." I said as I came out.

"Wow you look…nice." Tyler said.

"Nice? She looks hot." Lydia said apparently correcting him. I blushed, and suddenly felt very self-conscious.

"Umm thanks, but I think I'm going to get something else." I said as I started to turn, and go back into the fitting room. Lydia grabbed my arm though stopping me.

"No don't you're a cute girl no matter if you wear this, or some frumpy dress. If you like then get it." Lydia said giving me a slightly pleading look. I sighed.

"Okay…I'll get it." I said giving in.

"One more thing." She said taking my hand, and leading me over to a small display of makeup. She picked out a dark cherry colored lip gloss. She took it, and applied some to my lips. "There, you have such pretty pouty lips. They just need a little hint of color." She said smiling at me.

"I never usually wear makeup." I said.

"Well it's just gloss. You have such pretty dark lashes I don't think you need more than the gloss." She said giving me a look that said be a little adventurous. She was right. I wasn't acting like myself. Maybe it was just the excitement of it all, but I was acting a lot more timid than was usual for me.

"Okay I'll get it." I said taking the gloss from her. I got a few more tees, some tank tops, a jacket, boots, and undergarments. I decided to keep on my new outfit, and tossed my old clothes. We settled up with the lady at the counter before looking for a shop that sold personal items like soap, and shampoo. We found one after stopping at a place the sold men's clothes. Tyler got everything he needed, and we all got what we needed from the other shop. It was starting to get late when we had finished shopping, so we went back to our dorm. Getting a good night's sleep before our first day of training would be a good idea.

Tyler and I each took a bed on either side of Lydia. There were small sets of shelves next to each bed, and I put all of my things away in them. I flopped down on my bed, and took a deep breath. I glanced in front of me, and noticed Alexander sitting on the bed directly across from mine on the other side of the room. He looked over at me with a smile. It was just a smile, but it made me want to blush. What was it about him that made me do that? I gave him a small smile back before looking away. I crawled under my blankets, and wiggled out of my pants. I didn't realize how tired I was until I laid down. I snuggled my blankets up around my face, and fell asleep.

I woke up to Four banging a metal pipe against the railing next to the dorm door. He told us that we had an hour to get showered, and down to breakfast before we needed to be in the training room. I rolled over, and stretched before getting out of bed. I grabbed my shower stuff, and headed for the shower. I quickly worked through my routine, and grabbed a towel from a stack that was left for us on a counter in front of a large mirror. I dried off, and brushed my hair. I wrapped my towel around myself, and went back to my bed to get dressed. I wasn't paying attention, and walked right into someone. I looked up, and it was Alexander.

"Sorry." I said quietly biting my lip.

"Don't be sorry it's fine." He said giving me just a hint of a smile. I walked around him to my bed. I carefully dressed with my towel still wrapped around me. Lydia was dressed, and ready too. We told Tyler we would meet him in the cafeteria, and went down to get breakfast.

I didn't eat much last night, and I was starving. I piled some food onto my plate, and dug in. We sat at the same table we had sat at the night before. Four was across from us eating too. I wanted to ask him what we would be doing in training today, but I remembered how he had snapped at me for talking to him last night. Tyler joined us a short time later, and when we waited for him to eat then headed for the training room. We weren't there long before everyone had showed up.

"Okay today we are going to start out with a run, and when we get back we will be working with guns." Four explained before taking off at a run. We all followed him. I was happy that we were running, it was one thing I was good at. The guns on the other hand worried me. Four led us all around the compound, but the run didn't seem long enough. Before I knew we were back in the training room. There were rows of targets set up with guns on stands about twenty feet away from them…and Eric was there with his arms folded over his chest wearing a hard expression. I felt that odd tingle in my stomach at the sight of him. I wasn't the only one who had noticed Eric. Everyone seemed to be nervously glancing at him except Alexander. Four let us get water, and catch our breath before calling us all over to him. He stood next to Eric.

"I will demonstrate how to load, and fire a gun then you will all start practicing. Pay attention you'll be awarded points on this." Four explained. He seemed to notice everyone looking at Eric. "Eric will be overseeing your training, so he will be here most of the time." Four added. My stomach flipped. I wasn't sure I liked the idea of him being there, he made me so nervous. Four took a gun, and began showing us how to load, and fire it. It didn't look very complicated. When he was done he instructed us to each take a gun, load it, and then start practicing firing. I took the last station at the end, and Alexander took the one right next to me. Lydia looked a little put out by that, but he was quicker, and got there before her. I wondered why he seemed eager to take that spot, but I chose to ignore it.

I picked up my gun, and tried to load it. Four had made it seem easy, but something seemed stuck. I was doing something wrong. I heard Alexzander laugh softly next to me. He leaned over, and flicked a lever on my gun, and I was able to load it.

"Thanks." I said feeling a little stupid for not remembering that.

"You're welcome." He said with a playful smirk. I glanced down at Eric and Four who were behind us watching. Four was watching Tyler a few spaces down, and Eric was looking right at me. His brows were furrowed, and his jaw was set. I looked away. Maybe he was mad that I got help with my gun. I reeled myself back in, and focused on firing. I aimed at my target, and took my first shot. I completely missed it. I took a deep breath, and took another one with the same results. I kept trying, but missed every time. Alexzander looked like he was about to try to help me, but I gave him a look that said don't you dare. I didn't want any more trouble with Eric. I kept taking shots until I was out of ammo. I started to set my gun down when I heard someone step behind me. I turned to look. It was Eric, and he handed me more ammo. I took it, and reloaded my gun. He didn't move away, so I took a deep breath, and took another shot. I missed again. I wanted to scream. I knew I probably wouldn't be great at shooting a gun, but I was less than great I was terrible at it.

"You need to pay better attention when Four explains something." Eric said quietly behind me. I knew he was still there, but the sound of his voice almost made me jump.

"I did pay attention…I'm just not good at it." I said looking back at him. He looked at me for a long moment before just a hint of a smirk played at the corner of his lips.

"You can be, pay attention this time." He said stepping closer, and grabbing my hips. He tilted them at an angle, and kicked my right foot so that it was farther back letting me put my weight on it. "You're more stable like this." He said in almost a whisper. He moved his hands up to my waist, and I tried not to hold my breath. "Keep your upper body relaxed, so that the shock of the blast from your gun moves through you. Do you understand?" He asked still using that hushed tone. I nodded I didn't trust myself to speak. His hands were warm, and were they touched tingled. My knees were going weak again, and started to buckle under me. He held me tight letting me lean into him, so that I didn't fall down. "Try not to do that while you're firing your gun." He said still quietly, but with a hint of a laugh to his tone. I felt my cheeks grow hot, and forced myself to stand on my own. "Hold your gun up." He ordered. I did as he said, and he put his hands over mine repositioning them. "If you hold it here you have more control." He explained. He moved his hands back down to my waist, and it took all I had not let myself crumble to the floor. "Line up your in your sights. Take a deep breath, and focus. Take your time, it's not about how quickly, or how many shots you take if you can be accurate. Okay take a shot." He said voice was still quiet, but still so deep. I tried my best to focus on the target, and not him. I took a shot. It clipped the very edge of my target. "Okay try again. Focus on what you're doing Ursa." He whispered.

"I can't concentrate you're distracting me." I said in a quiet huff. I could almost feel him smirking.

"When you're in the field there can be a lot of distractions, just think of it as practice." He said making no attempt to move. I took a deep breath, and lined the target up in my sights. He was obviously not going to move. "Take another shot." He ordered placing just a little pressure with thumb against my skin. I took the shot, and this time I hit the outer ring of my target. I almost wanted to jump I was so happy. "Good go again." He said. I took another shot, and another. I kept getting closer to the center of my target with each attempt, and my excitement grew as I did. I wanted to hit the center of the target. I took a few more shots, then I did it. I hit the center. I was so excited I swung around, but as I did I wacked Eric in the side of the face with my gun. I immediately dropped my gun on the stand in front of me. He let out a sort grunt at the impact of it. I hit him pretty hard, and everyone had stopped to look at us. Eric gave them an angry stare that needed no words. Everyone looked away, and went back to their shooting.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that. Let me see it." I said franticly as I tried to pull his hand away. He grabbed my wrists, and took a deep angry breath.

"Don't. I'm fine." He said in almost a growl.

"It doesn't look fine. You need an ice pack let me…" I tried to say before he cut me off.

"No. Finish shooting, and this time be more careful with your gun." He said letting go of my wrists, and turning me to face my target again before he walked away. I looked back at him, and he gave me a look that said don't you dare question me. I picked up my gun again, and tried to focus. Alexander leaned over a little close to me.

"Your Amity was showing a little, you might want to put it away." He said with a little laugh. I glared at him, but he just smirked at me. I took another shot, but it was off I barely hit the target. I looked back behind me, and Eric gave me a nod to keep going. He had his arms folded over his chest again, but didn't look very angry just impatient. His cheek was really red from where I had hit him, and it would probably bruise. It was a little strange, but as distracting as it was having him so close I kind of missed it. There was something comforting about how he helped me. I needed to focus, and do what he taught me. I took a deep breath, and positioned myself correctly. I lined up the target in my sights, and took another shot. This time I made it close to the center. I kept going until I was out of ammo. I did reasonable well, most of my shots were decent. Alexzander was almost always dead on, and none of his shots went out farther then the outer ring of his target.

"Okay put your guns down take a break for lunch, and be back here in an hour." Four announced. Everyone headed out. Alexzander walked next to me.

"You did okay…after getting some _help_." Alexzander said once we were out of the training room. He was being sarcastic.

"Umm thanks…I guess." I said. I didn't really know how to respond to him. He was kind of odd. He always smiled at me, but there was something else there, and I wasn't sure what.

"You should have nailed him in the face sooner." He added.

"I didn't mean to do that." I said.

"Well either way it was kind of awesome." He said with a little laugh.

"Why was it awesome? I feel bad about it." I said giving him a questioning look.

"Seriously? I guess you didn't notice, but he's kind of a jerk." He answered. I shrugged maybe he was, but he did still help me actually hit my target, and I really didn't mean to hit him in the face with my gun.

"Even if he is a jerk hitting in the face with my gun wasn't something I meant to do." I said.

"Well if you feel bad maybe you should do something nice for him." He said with a mischievous smirk. I watched him for a long moment. I felt like he was up to something. He was so cryptic.

"Yeah? Like what?" I asked. I was curious to know what he would suggest.

"I don't know. Bring him some chocolate cake, and an ice pack or something. You could give it to him at dinner tonight. He'd probably like something like that." He said dismissively. We walked into the cafeteria, and I took a seat at our now usual table. I was at the end, and Alexzander took a seat next to me. Lydia sat next to him, and gave me a look that said _what's going on with him? _I shrugged I had no idea. I piled some food on my plate, and started eating.

"Why do you keep sitting next to me?" I asked.

"I don't know…maybe I like you." He answered quietly. It was a little odd. It was the first time I had seen him look vulnerable. He always seemed so confident. I didn't know what to say to that, it wasn't what I was expecting him to say. I looked at him, but he quickly looked down.

"Oh…okay." I said. I didn't know what else to say. I had never had a boy tell me he liked me before. We didn't say anything else, and just finished eating before heading back to the training room. When we got back Eric wasn't there, and it was strange I couldn't tell if I was relieved or disappointed. Four showed us how to use smaller handguns. I did a little better with them, but still not great. Alexzander didn't take the spot next to me this time. Instead it was Lydia. I knew she wanted to ask me about what had happened earlier with Eric, but it was too loud to talk here with all the gunfire. When we were done with training for the day Lydia and I walked at the back of the group as we all went to diner.

"So what was all that with Eric today?" She asked.

"Well he taught me how to fire my gun. You saw how bad I was. I wouldn't have got a single hit if he hadn't helped me." I answered simply.

"Mmm hmm so why did you hit him in the face with your gun?" She asked raising an eyebrow.

"That was an accident. I got excited, and swung my gun around too fast." I answered blushing. I was still embarrassed about that.

"Alright whatever you say." She said with a little laugh. We sat at our table once we got to the cafeteria. Lydia sat next to me, and Tyler next to her. Alexzander seemed to be avoiding me. I think that it had to do with what he said at lunch. We all ate without saying much. I think everyone was tired. It had been a long day.

I looked around behind us, and spotted Eric. He was sitting at table not far from us talking to a large man with light brown hair. I remembered what Alexzander said earlier about doing something nice for him. I got up, and told Lydia that I would be back in a bit. I ran to the infirmary, and asked for an ice pack before running back to the cafeteria. I went straight for the kitchen. There was an older plump looking women with rosy cheeks putting goods away. She turned to look at me with a smile.

"Do you need help? Are you lost?" She asked in a sincere tone.

"No…I was wondering if it would be possible to get a piece of chocolate cake. I know we aren't having it tonight, but I wanted to take a piece to Eric." I asked feeling a little silly. The women gave me a warm smile.

"Well usually I would say no, but if you're taking it to Eric I suppose I could do that. It is his favorite after all." She said. I gave her a giddy smile.

"Thanks I really appreciate it." I said.

"Can I ask why you're bringing it to him?" She asked.

"I kind of smacked him in the face with my gun today, and I just thought it would be a nice way to say I'm sorry." I said with a shrug. She smiled at me.

"You were Amity weren't you?" She asked. I nodded.

"Yeah." I said simply.

"Once upon a time I was too." She said with a wink. She went to a large refrigerator, and pulled out a piece of cake in a small container, and handed it to me. "Here you go." She said.

"Thanks." I said as I rushed out. I went back out into the cafeteria, and went straight for his table. He was still chatting with the same man. I took a deep breath, and walked over to him. When I reached the edge of the table both him and the other man looked up at me. I gave him a small smile.

"Umm I feel pretty bad about what I did earlier, so I brought you some cake, and an ice pack." I said setting the cake on the table, and holding the ice pack out for him. The man next to him burst out laughing. Eric gave him a hard look before turning his gaze on me. His jaw set, and brows furrowed. He looked furious. The man next to him shoved Eric's shoulder still laughing.

"I think this sweet little Amity girls got a crush on her big bad instructor." The man next to him said through his laughing. Eric shot him a murderous look that only made him laugh more. I felt my cheeks burn hot. Everyone at his table was looking at us now, and smiling. I wanted to crawl under a rock. This was not the reaction I had thought I would get. Eric stood up, and grabbed my wrist.

"Come on let's go." He said pulling me out of the cafeteria. He drug me along down the hallway for a while before turning down another hall. We walked a little further before he turned into a small alcove. There was a space cut into the wall making a concrete bench. The lights were dimmer here. There was just a faint bluish glow.

"Sit." He ordered. I did at he said. I had to jump a little to reach the bench. It was higher up, and when I sat it brought me almost eye level with him. I was still holding the ice pack, and I set it down beside me. He still looked furious, and ran his hand through his hair in a frustrated manner before looking at me again.

"I'm sorry I didn't know that would happen. Alexzander said I should do something nice for you at dinner like bring you cake, and an ice pack." I said trying to explain.

"Alexzander told you to do that?" He questioned.

"Well he suggested it." I answered. He shook his head.

"You made a complete fool out of yourself, and me out there. You're not in Amity anymore. You're in Dauntless. You don't bring cake to one of your instructor's especially one who is a leader at dinner in front of everyone." He lectured his tone was so deep and angry. He looked at me, and I made myself look him in the eye. Even in this light his eyes were such a deep beautiful blue, and I could see the disappointment in them. I had wanted so badly to be in Dauntless, and I had always felt like I would belong here. Now that I was I felt out of place, and I had just caused who knows how much trouble with Eric. I felt tears form at my eyes. I didn't want to cry in front of him, but I couldn't hold them back anymore. I was frustrated and angry, so I just let go of it and cried. Once I started I couldn't stop, I was sobbing now.

"Don't. Don't do that, don't cry." Eric said in an uncomfortable tone.

"I can't…help it." I choked out.

"If you want to be in Dauntless you have to be brave, you can't be scared. You can't be scared of even me." He said with some of the edge leaving his voice. I looked at him through the tears.

"I'm not…crying because…I'm scared of you…I'm crying because…I'm disappointed in myself…I'm screwing everything up." I said through my sobs. He stepped closer to me.

"Stop crying, you're not screwing everything up. The cake thing isn't that big of a deal." He said his voice softer, and deeper. He took the hem of my shirt, and lifted to wipe my tears away. I tried to stop crying, but I just kept whimpering almost involuntarily. He gently grabbed me by the waist, and pulled me to the edge of the bench. He pulled me into a hug letting rest my head on his shoulder. I felt him pull my hair over to one side, and he placed the ice pack on my neck. The cold was soothing, and I just held onto him. He was so much bigger than me, and I felt completely enveloped by him. He gently rubbed my back, and everything about being with him like this was comforting. I felt safe and warm. We sat there like that for a long while. I slowly started to feel better, and my whimpering stopped. He slowly pulled back from me, and set the ice pack down on the bench. He studied me for a long moment, and brushed a strand of hair from my cheek.

"Are you okay now?" He asked. I nodded.

"I think so, I'm sorry." I said my voice still a little shaky.

"It's fine just forget about it. You belong in Dauntless…just don't take anymore advice from Alexzander." He said still watching me carefully.

"Okay." I said quietly. He pulled me down from the bench, but kept his hands on my waist. He seemed to be making sure I was really okay. I didn't want him to let go. It was strange, but being close to him was the only time I had felt safe and comfortable since coming to Dauntless. "Why are you being so nice to me now?" I asked. He looked at me for a long moment, and I carefully watched his blue eyes. They were softer now, and didn't hold that angry edge to them. He gently rubbed my waist for a brief moment before letting one hand fall away, and the other rest at the middle of my back urging me to walk back toward the hallway.

"Come on you should get back to your dorm. You'll be learning how to fight tomorrow, and you should get some rest." He said completely ignoring what I asked. I didn't bother asking again, I knew I wouldn't get an answer. When we neared my dorm he stopped, and I turned to look at him.

"Thanks for walking me here." I said quietly. He nodded.

"Don't tell anyone about what happened tonight. If you do you're going to cause trouble for yourself." He said in a deep quiet serious tone.

"I won't say anything, but why would it cause trouble for me?" I asked curiously.

"The other initiates will give you hard time if they think I'm playing favorites with you." He answered.

"Oh…wait are you?" I asked curiously. A small smirk crossed his lips.

"Get some sleep, I'll see you tomorrow." He said ignoring my question again. I watched him walk away before going the rest of the way to my dorm. When I went in the dorm Lydia and Tyler were sitting on her bed talking. I went over to my bed, and flopped down. They both gave me a concerned look.

"Are you okay? What happened? Have you been crying?" Lydia asked. I took a deep breath. I didn't know what to say to them.

"I'm fine, and yeah I was crying. I just did something stupid, and made Eric mad." I answered.

"We saw part of what happened at his table, but what did he do to you? Did he hurt you?" She questioned.

"We just talked, and no he didn't hurt me. I followed Alexzander's stupid advice, and made a fool out of myself." I answered.

"Alexzander told you to do that?" Lydia asked.

"He suggested it. He had to have known that it was a bad idea right?" I asked.

"Yeah I think he knew it wasn't a good idea." Lydia answered.

"He also told me at lunch that he liked me, but then he avoided me for the rest of the day." I said.

"I could have told you that he liked you." Tyler said with a laugh.

"Why do you say that?" I asked.

"He's always looking at you, and he gets ticked off when other guys look at you." Tyler answered.

"Oh…is that weird?" I asked.

"I think he just likes you…Eric gets the same look on his face when someone checks you out. It's a guy thing." Tyler said smirking.

"Eric does not do that." I said.

"Yeah he does." Both Lydia and Tyler said at the same time. I rolled my eyes, but couldn't help smile just a little to myself. They both laughed a little, and Alexzander came walking in. He flopped down on his bed, and looked over at me with a victorious smirk. I glared at him. He definitely knew what he was doing when he told me to take cake to Eric.

"_You're a jerk_." I silently mouthed to him. He just kept smirking, and winked at me. I rolled my eyes. What was it about his stupid smile that always made me want to smile back despite myself.

"I'm tired. I think I'm going to bed." I said crawling under my blankets. I wiggled out of my pants, and got comfortable.

"Okay me too. Night." Lydia said. Tyler got up, and went over to his bed.

"Night night girls." He said in a silly tone. Both Lydia and I laughed at him.

"You're such a dork." Lydia said. We all laughed a little again before everyone quieted down. I peeked out over at Alexzander. He was laying down now too tucked under his blankets with his arm over his face. I didn't get him if he liked me why would want me to embarrass myself? I didn't understand him. I pushed him out of my head. I fell asleep thinking about Eric, and how safe I felt with him.

**A/N. I hope you enjoyed the story. Tell me what you think of it. How do you think things should go with Alexzander? I thought he could add some interest. He is an OC I based off of Johnathan Rhys Myers that I kind of carried over from my other fic, but his personality is a little different here. I'm still not completely sure how I want to use him in this story so any feedback you want to give is appreciated. **


	2. Sugar We're Going Down Swinging

**A.N/ It took me a little while to get this chapter up. I've been working on a lot of stories all at once, and it's taking me a little longer to get each of them out. Thank you for all of your reviews, follows, and favorites. I really appreciate all of them. It seems like poor Alexzander isn't liked much ha ha, but I do use him a good amount in this chapter. It's actually a little hard for me to write with him because I am a full on Eric supporter as well, but I wanted to do something a little different from my other Divergent fic, so I'm going to go ahead and use Alexzander a bit more, but he won't be in the picture for too long, so stick with me on it. The main focus will still be Eric and Ursa. Alexzander will just help make the chase a little more interesting. **

**Sugar We're Going Down Swinging **

I woke to Four banging his pipe again. I flopped my blankets off of me, and headed right for the shower. When I was done I quickly dressed. Today Lydia and I waited for Tyler before going down to breakfast. He didn't take long, and we were soon in the cafeteria. Alexzander was still keeping his distance. It was smart on his part because I still wanted to kick him for what he did. When we were done eating we went to the training room, and sat on a mat while we waited for everyone else to get there. Four was tightening straps on large punching bags, and Eric still wasn't there yet. Alexzander was one of the last ones to come walking in, and as he walked by me he gave me a sheepish smile. It didn't have its usual cocky edge to it. It felt in a small why like he was saying sorry. I rolled my eyes. A smile wasn't going to cut it if he really was sorry about what he did.

"Alright everyone we are going to start with a run again, then for the first half of the day I will show you the most basic striking moves, and for the second half of the day we will work on grappling, and submission moves. You will be fighting soon, so pay close attention. Okay let's go." He explained before taking off at a run. We all followed him. I slowly made my way to the front of the group, and ran beside Four. I was little surprise that he looked over at me with a smile. Running seemed to put him in a good mood too. I let myself just relax, and my head clear as I ran. I just thought about how nice the cool morning air felt against my skin, and lost myself for a little bit, but again our run went by fast. We were back at the training room before I knew it. Eric was sitting on a stone slab bench looking mildly bored as he waited for us. Four gave a short break for water then had us gather around one of the mats.

Four immediately went into detailed instruction about how to block and throw various punches. We all carefully listened, and watched him as he explained everything. He then pulled Tyler up to demonstrate some of the moves. Once he had shown us everything he had us all practice every move with him mirroring his movements. Eric sat quietly the whole time carefully watching each of us. His expression was stern, but he didn't look angry just intense. I couldn't help notice how he watched Alexzander more than anyone else. That made me nervous. He knew that he was the one behind me bringing him the cake. I hopped that it wasn't going to cause any trouble, but I had a feeling it was. I tried not to think about it, and concentrated on each move. After a while Four started to move around the group correcting each of us here and there. We all seemed to be doing fairly well with learning the moves. Implementing them would probably be another story. The small Abnegation girl Steph would most likely have a hard time. She didn't have much muscle, and probably wouldn't last long.

"Okay take a break for lunch." Four finally called out. We all headed out to the cafeteria. We sat in our usual place, and I sat between Lydia and Tyler. They were chatting animatedly about everything we had learned so far, but I wasn't really joining there conversation I had noticed Alexzander sitting toward the other end of the table. He still seemed to be trying to keep his distance. I glanced down the table at him, and he looked at me for a long moment.

"_I'm Sorry._" He mouthed to me. There was no sarcasm in it, and his eyes held a gentle sadness to them. I bit my lip debating what to make of him.

"Ursa Ursa hey did you hear what I said?" Lydia asked waving her hand at me.

"Sorry no what did you say?" I asked hoping that she hadn't noticed me looking at Alexzander.

"I said you looked good today in training. I think you were doing pretty well." She answered.

"Oh thanks you looked like you were doing well too." I said. I joined there conversation after that not wanting to be caught watching Alexzander again. We finished eating, and headed back to the training room. Four went right into explaining throws and submission holds. Eric was back in his spot on the stone bench still quietly watching. We went through the same routine with the new moves. It was nearly time for dinner, and we were all practicing with partners. Everyone was spread out on all of the mats I was with Lydia, and we were doing fairly well with our technique.

"Everyone over here." Eric called out in his deep hard voice. We all moved outside of the ring he was standing in. "Alright since you have all learned the basics of fighting I thought we would have a little demonstration to give you a taste of what a real fight will be like." He said. Four was standing outside the ring with us giving Eric a questioning look. "First jumper in the ring." Eric said. Everyone looked at Alexzander, and my stomach sank. Whatever Eric was up to it wasn't going to be good for Alexzander. "Okay initiate show me what you've learned." He said gesturing for Alexzander to come at him.

Alexzander was the best in our group, but he had still just learned everything, and Eric was…well Eric. They rounded each other for only a moment before Eric took a shot. He hit Alexzander hard in the stomach twice. He pulled back quickly trying to recover. Eric looked cool and controlled, but Alexzander looked angry now. His jaw was set, and the look he gave Eric was furious. I nervously played with the hem of my shirt. It was hard to watch. I wanted to run out of the room, but I knew I couldn't do that. Alexzander took a shot at Eric, but he easily blocked it. He took another with the same result. Eric was playing with him. He looked almost as though he didn't even have to try. Alexzander was getting to emotional, and it was making him sloppy. He tried taking a few more shots, but still didn't even come close to hitting Eric. Then Eric glanced at me, and his expression changed. His brows furrowed, and his jaw set. He then focused on Alexzander, and took a shot at him hitting him hard in the side three times before striking him in the face hard. Alexzander stumbled back almost going to the floor, but was able to stabilize himself. His lip was split, and blood was running down his face. I had to throw my hands over my mouth to keep myself from saying something. I wanted tell them to stop. I knew Eric was only doing it to get back at Alexzander, and I hated it. I was mad at him for doing what he did, but I didn't want Eric to do this. Alexzander looked over at me, and his expression changed. The anger washed away from his eyes then he turned his focus back to Eric. He looked like he was in a lot of pain. I could feel tears threatening to over flow at the corners of my eyes, but I fought them back. Alexzander went at Eric again, but this time it looked halfhearted. Eric took advantage of it, and hit him hard in the side of the face. This time Alexzander went down, and was out cold. Four and James the Erudite boy who had jumped just before me on our first day went over to him. It took all I had not to run over to him too, but I knew that would probably just complicate things with Eric.

"Alright we're done for the day. Get out." Eric announced. Four and James carried Alexzander out of the training room, and everyone else quickly left with them. Lydia tugged at my hand, but I was staying, I wanted to talk to Eric. She finally let go of my hand giving up after a few tries. When everyone else was gone I walked over to Eric. I stopped in front of him, and he looked at me with a calm expression. I wanted to scream at him, but I forced myself to take a deep breath before I spoke.

"Why did you do that?" I asked in as calm of a voice as I could muster. He shook his head at me.

"Do what?" He asked cocking his head just a little to the side with a hard look on his face.

"You know exactly what I mean." I said this time not keeping the angry tone out of my voice. He stepped closer to me his expression turning hard.

"Let me make this clear for you. I'm your instructor, and a leader I don't need to explain myself to you. Do you understand?" He said in a deep quiet tone as he gave me a hard look. He always danced around my questions. He was trying to intimidate me, and avoid telling me why he made Alexzander fight him, and it worked. I knew I couldn't question him anymore, or it would just get me into trouble.

"Yes. I understand." I answered in almost a whisper looking at the ground. I wanted to cry again, but I wasn't going to let myself do that, and he definitely wasn't going to comfort me if I did. I took a step back, and when I looked back up at him some of the hardness in his eyes was gone. I got the feeling that maybe he was regretting what he just said, or how he said it I wasn't sure. I didn't understand him he was so confusing. Last night he had been so kind and gentle. I liked that Eric, and I wondered if I would see that side of him again. I turned and walked away from him, and headed for the dorm. I wasn't happy with what Alexzander did, but Eric took it too far. He didn't have to beat him senseless.

I took my time walking to the dorm I needed to process everything that had just happened. I thought about how Alexzander had looked at me before Eric knocked him out, and it made my stomach twist. I got the feeling that he was trying to say sorry again with that look. I reached the dorm, and went over to Alexzander's bed. I rifled through his shelves until I found a clean shirt. He had blood all over the one he was wearing, and I thought taking him a clean one was the least I could do. I left the dorm, and headed to the infirmary. When I got there Four and James were standing outside the door talking. When I reached them James left heading toward the cafeteria.

"Is he okay?" I asked.

"Yeah he'll be okay. He's actually not that bad. A few bruised ribs, a black eye, and a busted lip." Four said like it wasn't a big deal.

"Is that what you usually do the first day you teach us how to fight?" I asked curiously.

"Yeah…we usually don't go that hard on an initiate the first time, but Eric takes things a little more seriously sometimes." Four answered. He acted as though what happened wasn't that out of the norm.

"Can I go see him?" I asked.

"Yeah I was just leaving. He shouldn't have to stay here too much longer." He answered before walking away. I went into the infirmary, and spotted him on a bed against the wall. A women with dark brown hair was taking to him. He nodded at her before she walked away. I went over to him, and stood next to his bed. He had an ice pack over the left side of his face, and the blood had been cleaned off.

"I just talked to Four he said that you were okay…I'm really sorry I didn't want that to happen." I said kind of blurting that last part out nervously. He gave me a small smile, but winced at the pain in his lip. He took my hand, and gently stroked the back of it with his thumb.

"Don't worry about it I deserved it." He said. I shook my head.

"No you didn't. He went way too far." I said.

"I shouldn't have told you to take him cake in front of everyone I was being a dick, and it got you in trouble." He said quietly.

"I don't care he still shouldn't have beaten you up like that…why did you do that though? Why did you want me to get in trouble?" I asked curiously. He licked his lips, and glanced away. I couldn't help but stare at his lips for a moment. He had the prettiest lips I had ever seen even with a cut on the corner of his lower one.

"I thought if he was mad at you then he would keep his hands off of you, and not be so _helpful_ in training." He answered. I felt my cheeks grow hot. His plan really didn't work. It actually had the opposite effect, but I wasn't going to tell him that.

"Oh…" I said. I didn't know what to say to that.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly. I gave his hand a little squeeze.

"It's okay. I'm sorry too I hated seeing that happen to you." I said.

"Is that my shirt?" He asked. I had forgotten about, and handed it to him.

"Yeah I stopped by the dorm before coming here to get it. You have blood all over the one you're wearing, and I thought you might want a clean one." I said blushing just a little.

"You're so sweet thank you." He said pulling my hand to his lips, and kissing the back of it. My stomach did a little flip, and I felt a tingle dance through me. The dark haired woman came back over to us, and handed him a fresh ice pack.

"You can go now if you want, but try to take it easy for the rest of the night. You will be sore tomorrow, so if you need to you can come by for more pain medication." She said before walking away. He sat up with a wince. I moved out of his way, and he swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

"Can you help me with my shirt?" He asked.

"Yeah I can help you." I answered stepping in front of him. I grabbed the hem of his shirt, and as carefully as I could I lifted it up, and off of him. He grimaced in pain at the movement he needed to make to get it off. I couldn't help but look at him. Every part of him was defined, and smooth. His side was already starting to bruise. The site of it sent another pang of guilt through my stomach. I looked up at him, and he was smirking. He was giving me that cheeky knowing look with those incredibly pale blue eyes. I had just been blatantly checking him out, my cheeks grew fiery hot. I grabbed his clean shirt, and pulled it over his head. I then as gently as I could pulled it over his torso.

"Thanks." He said slipping off the side of the bed before I could step back. We had almost no room between us. He rested his hands on my waist, and leaned in kissing me on the cheek. He was so gentle, and his lips lingered before pulling away. Every part of me suddenly felt relaxed, and I wanted to lean into him.

"Are you hungry? I think everyone is still down at dinner. We could go meet them." I said.

"Yeah I'm starving…will you sit with me?" He asked wrapping his arms a little further around my waist as he gave me that intoxicating smirk of his. That look was hard to resist.

"I'll sit with you. Come on let's go." I said pulling away, but taking his hand as I pulled him towards the door. We took our time walking to the cafeteria. I knew he was trying not to show it, but he was moving a little stiff from the pain. When we got to the cafeteria it was only about half full. We were there a little late, but Lydia and Tyler were still sitting at our table. Almost all the other transfers were gone, and I didn't see Eric anywhere. I was glad he wasn't around. I really didn't want to have any other confrontations with him. We took a seat at our table across from Lydia and Tyler, and got some food.

"How are you doing?" Lydia asked Alexzander.

"I'm okay really sore." He said with a little half smile. I could tell it hurt him every time he talked, or smiled. He would give a little wince each time.

"So everyone is meeting in the pit there is some kind of party going on. Everyone can come, do you guys want to go?" She asked looking at both of us.

"Yeah I want to go." Alexzander said before I could answer.

"You're supposed to take it easy are you sure you want to go down there." I asked giving him a concerned look.

"I'm fine. I want to go. I don't want to sit around the dorm for the rest of the night. Will you go down there with me?" He asked giving me a sweet pleading look.

"I'll go with you, but you have to promise to try and relax." I said. He smiled and agreed. We finished eating before heading down to the pit. When we got there it was a loud sea of people. Large groups of people were dancing throughout the middle of the room, and smaller groups of people lined the walls. Everyone was laughing, and talking with each other. We spotted James and a few other transfers hanging out against the wall, and went over to them. Lydia and Tyler decided to go dance. James clamped a hand on Alexzander's shoulder, and asked how he was doing. They chatted for a few minutes before a Dauntless born girl came over, and asked James to dance leaving Alexzander and I alone. I hopped up on a tall stone bench that lined the wall. Alexzander stepped close in front of me.

"Come dance with me?" He asked resting his hands on my knees.

"No. You're supposed to be taking it easy, and you promised you would try to relax a little if we came down here." I said.

"Fine. I get to relax against you then." He said turning around letting his back rest against my chest as he wrapped my arms around over his shoulders. It felt nice having him close. He was warm, smelled good, and being close was comforting. He was just lower than me since I was up high on the bench, and I let my cheek rest against his.

"Are you comfortable? I see you're going to take full advantage of my guilt over what happened." I asked in a whisper.

"Mmm Hmm." He mumbled stroking my arm gently. I closed my eyes, and let myself relax to the feeling of being next to him, and of his fingers lightly trailing up and down my arm. We sat like that for a long while just sort of cuddling.

"Heyyyy you two, how's it going?" Tyler asked as he and Lydia came up, and sat next to us.

"Good a little tired." I mumbled leaning back just a little from Alexzander. I had been sitting there for a while with my eyes closed, and when I looked up I noticed Eric standing near a large stone slab with the same man who was with him at his table last night. His friend was pointing at Alexzander and me, and Eric turned to look at us. I felt my stomach sink. The look on Eric's face was utter rage. He sat there staring for a long moment before turning, and walking away. I instinctively hugged Alexzander a little closer. He rubbed my arm, and turned his head just a little to look at me from the side.

"It's okay don't worry about it." He said in a whisper. I wasn't so sure about that. If he was mad before, and beat the crap out of him I hated to think about what he would do if he was furious.

"We should go it's getting late." I said. He leaned away from me allowing me to jump down from the ledge. He took my hand, and I told Tyler and Lydia that I'd see them back at the dorm before we headed out of the pit. When we got back to the dorm I headed straight for my bed, and so did Alexzander. The dorm was empty everyone was probably still down in the pit. He gingerly sat down, and kicked off his boots. I gave him a look that said _really_? He took my hand, and tugged me closer.

"I promise I'll keep my hands to myself…I just want to be close to you." He said almost whispering the last part. He sounded sincere, and I would be lying to myself if I said that I didn't want to. I had always been an affectionate person, and since being here I missed it. It had been strange to go even a day without hugging someone or sitting and cuddling with someone in the evening. I always did that with one of my parents, or my sister, or a friend. There was just something so comforting about being near to someone else. I got the feeling that maybe it was something that Alexzander was missing too since being here. He was the strongest of all of us transfers, but there were these moments that I would catch hints of vulnerability in him. When he looked at me now I could see it. He was hurt, sore, and just wanted to be comforted. I gave him a small smile, and squeezed his hand a little.

"Okay, but I need more comfortable pants to sleep in, and seriously one cheeky move and you're out." I said. He gave me a relieved look, and that vulnerable side of him really began to show.

"I won't try anything, I have two pairs of pajama pants in my shelf." He said starting to get up, but I gently stopped him.

"I'll get them, just sit." I said walking over to his shelves. I found the pairs of pants. I walked back over, and handed him a pair. He grimaced as he stood, and turned around. I turned around too, so we could both get changed. His pants were big on me, but they had a draw string. He laid down, and half rolled over onto his right side that wasn't so sore. I crawled in behind him, and gently wrapped my arm around his waist. He let his hand rest over mine. I snuggled in close to him, and let my face rest against the back of his neck.

"Are you comfortable? You okay being little spoon?" I mumbled against his skin.

"Yeah I'm comfortable, and I like being little spoon." He said with a small laugh. It was so nice to be close to someone again.

"Before you came here did you used to cuddle with someone?" I asked curiously.

"If I tell you will you promise not to make fun of me?" He asked.

"Yeah I promise I won't make fun of you." I said.

"Well not so much anymore, but when I was little I always cuddled with my mom a lot…not like this but just sitting on the couch, or at night she would sit with me in bed, and read to me. We still hug a lot, and once in a while if I've had a bad day she would sit with my on the couch, and talk with me. It was just nice to have the comfort of someone being close." He answered.

"I wouldn't make fun of you for that. I think it's sweet. I was like that with my family too." I said quietly against his neck. I felt him shiver just a little. "Are you cold?" I asked. He laughed a little.

"No…it's your lips against my neck." He said.

"I'm sorry I'll move back." I said.

"No don't it's nice." He said pulling my hand up, and kissing it.

"Okay." I said quietly.

I felt myself begin to relax, and grow a little sleepier when I heard Tyler and Lydia walk in chatting a little loudly. I turned my head to look over at them, and they both gave me cheeky grins. I rolled my eyes, and pulled the covers over our heads. Alexzander gave my hand a gentle squeeze. I kissed the back of his neck before snuggling my face there again. He murmured softly. I heard more people come in. It sounded like everyone was coming back from the party.

"Hey where's Alexzander?" I heard James say somewhere near us. We both sat there for a moment, and seemed to debate saying something.

"I'm over here. I'm fine." Alexzander said pulling the blanket back from us a little. I kept my face down next to his neck. I was blushing, and I didn't really want to look at who ever was standing around looking at us.

"Oh…okay." James said. Alexzander pulled the blankets back over our heads, and we both laughed a little.

"I think we are causing more drama for ourselves." I whispered to him.

"Probably, but I don't care it's worth it." He whispered back. I kissed his neck again. After a few minutes the room quieted down, and I drifted off to sleep.

I woke up to the sound of the pipe against the rail. Sometime in the night we had switched positions, and now I was the little spoon with Alexzander at my back. His arm was wrapped around my waist, and when we heard the pipe he squeezed me close.

"Get up!" I heard Eric's voice. I was almost immediately awake, and without thinking I flung the covers back from our heads. It drew Eric's attention, and he looked right at me. Alexzander sat up just a little behind me, and when Eric saw him his jaw set, and I could swear he almost snarled before forcefully throwing the pipe against the ground were it loudly clanged. He turned and stomped out of the room. I flopped back down.

Crap.

"You know he's going to give us a hard time today." I said.

"It doesn't matter he can do whatever he wants." Alexzander said dismissively in a sleepy voice. I didn't feel as confident as him. He hugged me close to him, and kissed the back of my neck. A tingle ran down my spine, and I involuntarily arched my back a little. He laughed, and kissed me again.

"I've got to get up, and take a shower." I said sitting up. He let his hand slip from my waist to my back rubbing it for a moment before I stood up. I grabbed my shower bag, and went to the bathroom. I quickly went through my routine. I wrapped my towel around myself, and went back to my bed. Alexzander got up when I came over. He gave me a smile before heading to the bathroom. All the girls were done now, and the boys were heading in. I carefully dressed under my towel. Lydia was done dressing, and sat on her bed facing me.

"So you and Alexzander together now?" She asked.

"Umm no…I don't know if we're together…we just. I don't know what we are. I'm just going to see how things go." I answered blushing a little.

"Okay whatever you say. I'm going to go down to breakfast I'll see you down there." She said getting up, and leaving. I flopped back on my bed waiting for Alexzander. It wasn't long before he came back out. He went over to his bed to get dressed. When he was done he walked over to my bed, and bent down grabbing my hands lifting me up.

"Come on lets go get breakfast." He said with a smile.

"Okay let's go." I said tugging him towards the door. We walked down to the cafeteria, and went to our table. We sat at the end next to Lydia, and across from Tyler. I looked over to Eric's table, but he wasn't there. Alexzander looked at me then at Eric's table. His brows furrowed a little. He leaned close to my ear.

"It's fine don't worry about it." He whispered, but the way he looked at me didn't seem like he was concerned about me being worried, but more irritated that I was preoccupied with Eric. I gave him a small smile, and turned my attention to my food. We didn't say much while we ate, and then headed for the training room. Alexzander walked with me holding my hand, and when we got to the training room Four was waiting for us, but Eric still wasn't around. I could help but immediately look for him, and it didn't go unnoticed by Alexzander again. Four took us on our daily run, and I ran next to him again. I let myself relax as I ran trying not to think about Alexzander or Eric, but like always our run seemed to short. When we got back Eric was there tightening the straps on the heavy bags. I carefully watched him, but he didn't look at me. Four instructed us on how to practice the moves we learned yesterday by sparing with each other. Four has us pair up and take a mat. Alexzander was with me, and since we were an odd number Four worked with the little Abnegation girl.

We all went right to work sparing with each other. I tried my best to focus on Alexzander, and practicing the moves, but I couldn't help watch Eric. He seemed to be ignoring me, and making an effort not to look at me. I wasn't sure why, but it bothered me that he wouldn't even look at me. Alexzander gave me a frustrated look every time I glanced at Eric. We went on like that all morning until lunch. Alexzander and I sat next to each other again, and ate silently for a while.

"Why do you keep watching Eric? You don't need to do that." Alexzander asked quietly. I was a little caught off guard that he asked me such a direct question, and I wasn't sure how to answer him.

"I don't know. I guess I'm just concerned about what happened this morning." I answered.

"Alright." He said in a short tone. He was upset about it, but I didn't know what to tell him. There was just something about Eric I couldn't ignore, and I hated that he wouldn't look at me. We finished eating, and headed back to the training room. We went right back to sparing. While we were sparing we were supposed to keep out blows light, but Alexzander was hitting a little hard. He caught me off guard, and hit me hard with a strike to the side of my face. I made a loud grunting sound as he hit me, and grabbed my face. He instantly looked sorry, and stepped closer to me. I shrugged away, and looked to Eric. He was looking now, and he looked more furious than he had this morning. I looked back at Alexzander who looked both frustrated that I was looking at Eric, and concerned about having hit me.

"Let's just keep going." I said forcing myself to turn my attention back to Alexzander. He just nodded, and we went back to sparing. This time he was overly careful, and easy with all of his moves.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to hit you that hard, but why do you keep looking at Eric?" He asked. I shook my head.

"I don't know." I answered honestly. He rolled his eyes. He was still angry, and I didn't know what to say to make him feel better. I wanted to kick myself for being so preoccupied with Eric's every move. It was starting to get late in the day, and we would be done with training soon. Eric rounded each of the mats carefully watching all of us. I looked at him when he reached our mat, but he barely looked at me. His expression was stiff and cold.

"It's time for some real fighting. First jumper last jumper in the ring. Time to fight. You will be awarded points on this so fight hard." Eric called out. I looked at Alexzander, and he looked nervous. I knew we were going to have trouble with Eric, but I wasn't expecting this.

"You need to just take me out. I'll let you win." He said in a whisper as we started to walk over to the mat Eric was standing next to.

"No he'll know, and it will just get us into more trouble. We have to just really fight." I said trying to reason with him. I wasn't horrible at fighting, but I wasn't great either, and Alexzander was the best of us so far. There was no way anyone would buy that I beat him in a fight. We both walked into the ring, and I readied myself. I didn't like the idea of hitting him, and I knew he was still sore from yesterday. I would do my best to avoid the areas I knew he was hurt. Everyone was standing outside of our ring, and both Eric and Four were carefully watching us. Alexzander and I rounded each other, and I took the first shot, but he easily blocked it. He halfheartedly took a shot at me, and I blocked it.

"Stop playing with each other." Eric said in almost a growl. I nervously glanced at Eric before forcing myself to focus on Alexzander. We rounded each other again before I took another shot. I missed and Alexzander caught me hard in the stomach. I stumbled back, but was able to regain my composure. I tried again, and this time I caught him in the side, but it didn't seem to have as much impact as his hit did with me. I quickly backed away before he could strike me. He came at me again, and caught me in the side twice almost sending me to the floor, but I was able to keep myself up. I went in for another shot, but he grabbed me, and spun me into a head lock. I couldn't move. He was so much bigger and stronger than me, and I had no idea how to get out of his hold. I struggled uselessly against him. Then I felt myself begin to slip out of consciousness, and everything went dark.

I started to come around, and at first was confused. I was moving, and my face was pressed against someone. I opened my eyes, and tried to focus. I was being carried. I looked up it was Eric. He had me carefully cradled in his arms. I still felt out of it, and I just let my face press into the soft fabric of his shirt, and wrapped my arm around his neck.

"Where are you taking me?" I mumbled against him.

"To the infirmary." He answered in a stern deep tone. I didn't say anything the rest of the way there. We reached the infirmary, and he laid me down on a bed. The women who had helped Alexzander last night came right over to me. Eric explained what had happened in our fight, and she went to work checking me over.

"You should be fine. Just lay here until you feel like you can get up." She said before walking away. Eric was still standing next to the bed, and I looked over at him. He looked back his expression still hard with his brows furrowed.

"Why did you make us do that?" I asked.

"The first jumper and last jumper always have the first fight." He answered in a hard deep quiet tone.

"So you're telling me it had nothing to do with you seeing me and him together last night and this morning?" I questioned with a frustrated edge to my voice.

"No. I don't care what you do with your little boyfriend." He answered in an angrily.

"Why did you throw the pipe down like that, and stomp away when you saw me and Alexzander in bed? You seemed pretty mad to me." I asked, carefully watching him. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, but his jaw still angrily flexed.

"I was mad at something else. I don't care who you _sleep_ with." He answered in a strained tone. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"You do realize that all we did was sleep right?" I asked. Did he really think that I had just jumped in bed with him like that? In room full of other people no less. I wanted to punch him. His expression was still hard, but some of the tension in his shoulders relaxed just a little.

"How are you feeling?" He asked ignoring what I had just said.

"Frustrated." I answered in a huff. I knew he was asking if I was feeling well enough to get up, but if he could dance around questions then so could I. He shook his head.

"When you feel better you should get something to eat, you'll be fighting again tomorrow." He said in a short tone before turning, and walking out of the room. I leaned back against the bed, and closed my eyes. He drove me crazy. I knew he was mad at seeing me and Alexzander together, but he refused to admit it, and I wanted to know why it bothered him. Tyler said he was always looking at me, but I had a hard time believing he could be interested in me like that. He was older than me, and a leader. He had no reason to pay any attention to me. I felt someone brush a strand of hair from my cheek. I opened my eyes, and Alexzander was standing next to the bed. I didn't even hear him walk up to me. I had been too lost in thought about trying to figure out Eric.

"Are you okay?" He asked with a concerned expression. I gave him a little smile, and took his hand.

"Yeah I'm fine. I was just laying here for a minute." I answered sitting up, and swinging my legs off the side of the bed. He stepped closer to me, and wrapped his hands around my waist.

"I'm sorry I didn't want to do that, but I thought it would be better than knocking you out." He said licking his lips.

"It's okay I know." I said standing up. He kept his hands around me, and kissed my forehead before stepping back just slightly to give me a little space.

"Look I'm sorry I got mad at you today about the whole Eric thing…I guess I was just feeling a little jealous because I want you all to myself." He said rubbing my back giving me a playful smirk. That wasn't fair I couldn't resist that smirk of his. I wrapped my arms up around his neck, and hugged him.

"It's fine can we just forget about it?" I asked still holding onto him.

"Yeah." He answered muffled into my neck.

"Are you hungry?" He asked pulling back just a little.

"I'm starving." I answered. He smiled at me, and stepped back taking my hand. We walked to the cafeteria. When we got there we went right for our table. I glanced over to where Eric normally sat. He was there sitting next to that same friend. He looked right at me, and his jaw flexed when he glanced down at Alexzander and me holding hands. He looked away, and turned his attention to his friend who was sitting next to him. I suddenly felt like screaming again. It bothered me seeing him look at me that way. We sat down at our table, and got some food. Lydia and Tyler both asked how I was doing, and I told them I was fine. I didn't really want to discuss what happened. When we finished eating we headed back to our dorm. It was still early, but I was tired. I flopped down on my bed, and Alexzander flopped down next to me. I was on my back, and he was on his side. He cuddled up next to me, and rested his head on my shoulder with his arm around my waist.

"I've been looking forward to this all day." He said. I rubbed his arm. It was nice to cuddle, but my mind was drifting to Eric again.

"It's nice…but you should probably sleep in your bed tonight." I said quietly. He lifted his head to look at me.

"Okay. Are you mad at me?" He asked. I smiled at him.

"No I'm not mad at you. I just don't want to start any more drama than we already have." I answered.

"Alright that makes sense. Can I cuddle with you a little longer?" He asked.

"Yeah we can cuddle for a while." I answered rubbing his arm again. We laid there for a while before he finally got up gave me a kiss on the cheek, and went to his bed. He was so sweet, but something just felt off, and I think it had to do with a certain blue eyed instructor. I rolled over, and crawled under my blankets. I kicked off my pants, and It didn't take me long to fall asleep.

I woke up, and the dorm room was nearly completely dark except for a faint blue glow coming from a light in the bathroom. Everyone was still asleep. I rolled over trying to get comfortable. I flopped around on my bed trying to find a good position, but couldn't. Back at Amity when I couldn't sleep I would go take a walk outside. I couldn't go outside alone here, but I could still walk around the compound. I got up, and pulled on my pants and boots. I quietly headed for the door, and carefully went out of the room. I wandered aimlessly through the halls. No one was around, but that wasn't surprising I was sure it was really late. It was a little cold, and I was thinking I should have brought my jacket when I came to the chasm. It was always a little cooler here. I walked out onto the bridge, and leaned against the railing. I looked over the edge at the rushing water below. The sound of it was relaxing. I was starting feel a little sleepy again, and was thinking about heading back when I felt someone's hand on my arm. It startled me, and I quickly turned jumping into Eric. I stood there frozen clutching his jacket just staring at him.

"What are you doing out here?" He asked. His tone wasn't hard, but deep and quiet. I slowly let go of his jacket, and stepped back just a little.

"I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk." I answered.

"You shouldn't be out here alone at night." He said looking me over. His expression didn't have that angry edge to it.

"Why are you out here?" I asked curiously as I shivered. It was much colder standing over the chasm.

"You're cold." He said taking off his jacket, and putting it around me. I slipped my arms through the sleeves. He always ignored my questions.

"Thanks, but you didn't answer me." I said.

"I just wanted to take a walk. Why couldn't you sleep?" He asked.

"I don't know I just couldn't." I answered. His brows furrowed a little.

"Maybe if you didn't have someone else sharing your bed you could get some sleep." He said with some of that angry edge back to his tone. I rolled my eyes.

"I wasn't sharing my bed with anyone tonight. I've just had a lot on my mind." I said giving him a frustrated look.

"You have a fight with your little boyfriend?" He asked with a slight smirk.

"No I didn't, and he's not my boyfriend…we're just. I don't know what we are." I answered.

"Is that what's keeping you from sleeping?" He asked grabbing his jacket, and tugging me a little closer to him. He buttoned it up for me, and let his hands rest at my waist. I wanted to lean into him, and be close like were the other night, but I didn't. I looked up at him, and he was watching me carefully.

"I don't know…maybe." I answered honestly. He turned a little, and leaned back against the railing pulling me with him. His arms wrapped a little further around my waist tugging me closer to him. I let my hands rest against his chest. He was so warm, and being close to him again made me realize that I had missed it.

"Just maybe? Why is it keeping you up?" He asked quietly. The way he looked at me gave me the feeling he knew why.

"I'm not sure. I guess I'm just not sure about what I wanted." I answered.

"What makes you not sure about him?" He asked rubbing my side. I tried not to let my knees go out from under me.

"What are you really asking me? I didn't say it was him that was keeping me up." I asked. He smirked just a little.

"It's late you should get back to bed." He said ignoring what I asked. I had a feeling he would.

"You're not going to answer me." I said biting my lower lip. He looked down at me his eyes lingering on my lips.

"Come on I'll walk you back to your dorm." He said still ignoring me. He gently pushed me back, and urged me towards the hall leading to my dorm. He walked with me keeping a hand on the small of my back. I liked that he did that it was reassuring. We got back to the dorm, and I turned to face him. I started to unbutton his jacket, but he took my hands stopping me.

"Give it back to me tomorrow." He said rubbing the back of my hand with his thumb. That gentle touch made me almost shiver. He smiled at me before walking away. I went back into the dorm, and to my bed. I unbuttoned and pulled off his jacket. I took off my boots, and pants before crawling back into bed. I rolled over onto my side, and snuggled his jacket close to me. It smelled like him. There was a faint scent of cologne and soap, and it smelled so good. I was tired, and it didn't take me long to fall asleep.


End file.
